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08/16/2012

My plan of action for work-at-home success

There are days when I just don't think it's possible to work from home in a one-bedroom condo with a one-year-old.

For starters, it takes about one-eighth of a second for my newly-mobile Baby Tornado to make a mess of our home. Chaos is something I'm terrible at ignoring. So every time I get sidetracked with tidying, that's cutting into my work time.

Secondly, have you ever been around a one-year-old? If you have, I don't have to tell you it's EXHAUSTING. I feel like a zombie by the end of each and every day, which makes it difficult to work once she heads to bed.

Thankfully, I have two days a week to get stuff done. But what to start with? Between household tasks (like dealing with the annoying ants that have decided to move in) and paying jobs, not to mention personal appointments (my new contact lenses are definitely the wrong perscription), it's enough to leave anyone frazzled.

So, basically, if I was kinda sorta organized before, I'm going to have to be super-over-the-top-organized now if I'm going to make this self-employed thing work. Below is my plan of action:

1. Make a to-do list the night before.

After Addy's dinner, bath, bottle and bedtime story -- and after I make and clean up dinner for us adults -- it doesn't make sense to say I'm going to do work. That's just setting myself up for failure. What I can do is jot down all the things I'd like to accomplish tomorrow, so I can check them off as I go along.

2. Wake up early.

Just the thought of this makes me tired, but it has to be done! Addy typically wakes up every morning around 7. If I head to bed at 11, I can wake up at 6am and still get the 7 hours of sleep I need. I also can use that hour for whatever I want -- like drinking my coffee in peace, checking my email or jotting down story ideas for the various newsletters and blogs that I write.

3. Make the most of her naps.

My daughter does not take monster snooze-fests, but she does sleep for 1h 15min two times a day. That's enough time to get a few things done, if I'm disciplined and know what my plan is ahead of time.

4. Set a time limit for tidying.

It's really easy to get carried away with getting my home in "perfect" condition. The thing is, a lot of stuff I can do while Adelaide's awake (she loves emptying out the Tupperware shelves in the kitchen while I do the dishes or get dinner ready). I have to pick and choose what needs to be done and set a time limit of, say, five minutes.

5. Have a designated work area.

Since Adelaide's moved into our solarium, my office has since moved into our bedroom. It's not ideal, by any means, but it's a room with a door on it. If I use my tidy time to make sure the bed is made and the clothes are in the hamper, I should be able to block out the rest of the apartment and work on the tasks at hand.

I know I have it in me to be productive even when Adelaide's around. I just have to let go of the excuses and get 'er done! I'm secretly hoping that things might get easier as she gets older, and she can entertain herself for more than 10 minutes at a time.

A question for my fellow work-at-home mommies out there: How do you do it? What fool-proof tips do you have for the rest of us?

Comments

My plan of action for work-at-home success

There are days when I just don't think it's possible to work from home in a one-bedroom condo with a one-year-old.

For starters, it takes about one-eighth of a second for my newly-mobile Baby Tornado to make a mess of our home. Chaos is something I'm terrible at ignoring. So every time I get sidetracked with tidying, that's cutting into my work time.

Secondly, have you ever been around a one-year-old? If you have, I don't have to tell you it's EXHAUSTING. I feel like a zombie by the end of each and every day, which makes it difficult to work once she heads to bed.

Thankfully, I have two days a week to get stuff done. But what to start with? Between household tasks (like dealing with the annoying ants that have decided to move in) and paying jobs, not to mention personal appointments (my new contact lenses are definitely the wrong perscription), it's enough to leave anyone frazzled.

So, basically, if I was kinda sorta organized before, I'm going to have to be super-over-the-top-organized now if I'm going to make this self-employed thing work. Below is my plan of action:

1. Make a to-do list the night before.

After Addy's dinner, bath, bottle and bedtime story -- and after I make and clean up dinner for us adults -- it doesn't make sense to say I'm going to do work. That's just setting myself up for failure. What I can do is jot down all the things I'd like to accomplish tomorrow, so I can check them off as I go along.

2. Wake up early.

Just the thought of this makes me tired, but it has to be done! Addy typically wakes up every morning around 7. If I head to bed at 11, I can wake up at 6am and still get the 7 hours of sleep I need. I also can use that hour for whatever I want -- like drinking my coffee in peace, checking my email or jotting down story ideas for the various newsletters and blogs that I write.

3. Make the most of her naps.

My daughter does not take monster snooze-fests, but she does sleep for 1h 15min two times a day. That's enough time to get a few things done, if I'm disciplined and know what my plan is ahead of time.

4. Set a time limit for tidying.

It's really easy to get carried away with getting my home in "perfect" condition. The thing is, a lot of stuff I can do while Adelaide's awake (she loves emptying out the Tupperware shelves in the kitchen while I do the dishes or get dinner ready). I have to pick and choose what needs to be done and set a time limit of, say, five minutes.

5. Have a designated work area.

Since Adelaide's moved into our solarium, my office has since moved into our bedroom. It's not ideal, by any means, but it's a room with a door on it. If I use my tidy time to make sure the bed is made and the clothes are in the hamper, I should be able to block out the rest of the apartment and work on the tasks at hand.

I know I have it in me to be productive even when Adelaide's around. I just have to let go of the excuses and get 'er done! I'm secretly hoping that things might get easier as she gets older, and she can entertain herself for more than 10 minutes at a time.

A question for my fellow work-at-home mommies out there: How do you do it? What fool-proof tips do you have for the rest of us?